Bloggers, let's stop this menace!

Monday, March 11, 2013

I know I am supposed to be on ablog break, but I decided to come back here just for this week to blog about an
issue affecting many bloggers, and has rendered many of us helpless. For me to
actually come back, then you should know it’s serious.

We all know the internet can be a shark
at times, devouring people up without mercy, and should you dare to speak out,
you would be devoured some more. When many of us see what’s happening, and see
we can’t beat them, we in turn join the sharks and bite too, thereby leading to
bloody internet fights with no winners. Twitter is especially known for the
most vicious shark casualties, and I do my best to stay away from it, apart
from when I have to publicise one thing or the other.

The intellectual ones who feel they have
something better to say are known to go the direction blogging. We all know
that not everyone can maintain a blog, as you must be able to say much more
than kk, lol, lwkmd, famzing thinz, Eleko Beach sturvs, etc., and do more than spew 140 or less characters
of random words that either make sense or not, to run a blog. It is with this
that everyone has come to acknowledge that bloggers are a different kind of
internet people. They are not just idle babblers who devour people all over the
place, they actually know what they are talking about. And should they decide to attack in a shark-like manner, it is not always
pretty, cos they do it with intellect. They do it the right way, they don’t
attack the person, they attack the post, which is more than I can say for
Nairalanders.

We also know that bloggers, especially in
Nigeria, form a very tight-knit community, and they know how to protect their
own. They look out for one another, and many times genuinely care for one
another. Thus the surprising turn of the issue I am about to discuss.

A blogger contacted me, asking
about how to deal with bloggers who steal, even though they reference the
source. I told her I don’t know, and I am a victim too. She said “aren’t you
the blogsville police?” Please, people how does doing 3 posts about blogsville
make me a blogsville police?

Anyway, I digress. On a normal day, I
would have laughed and gone back to what I was doing, but I had to discuss with
her because if there's someone who has been affected much by blog and internet
thieves, that person is me. Anytime I find out that one more post of mine has been
stolen, I feel helpless and close to tears. Most times, I don’t always find out
until much later, when I am looking for a post of mine via google. Ever since I
published my first book, I have been a victim too many times to count. I
commented on one of the thieves’ posts, telling him to please, mail me cos he
had no contact on his blog, but the person never got to me. I considered
putting a sign on my blog header to say, 'all blog and forum thieves should
steer clear if they can’t do the right thing by asking for permission'. Yes I
was that pissed, but I considered it too aggressive, so I went back to ‘mode
helplessness’.

You would think we should be happy that
we can write articles quality enough to be stolen by internet and blog thieves.
No. The thing is, when you steal someone’s article, you become a direct
competitor with that person when it comes to traffic and SEO. You share in the
person's stats, and if your site is really popular like nairaland or other very
popular blogs, you take 99% of the person's stats. Someone takes their time to
write a post (comedy and satire in my case), and gets almost no credit for it.

Yes, we know they write the person's name
at the end but why should one copy the whole post, if it is not stealing? Why
do it without the person's permission? Why not take a bit, and redirect the
remaining to the person’s blog if you really want the owner to get credit? Duplicating an entire content is a no, no, whether you reference the author or not. Complete content duplication is actually criminal, I researched it.

Ask
yourself, why did you copy that post? Is it to bring attention to your blog or
the real author? The honest answer will determine whether you stole it or not.
There was even an instance when someone took the whole of my post, and referenced
me in a way that wasn't even noticeable at all, such that in the comment box,
everyone kept referring to how they agreed with the blogger, despite the fact
that she wasn’t the author. They just did not notice the reference because it
was too obscure. We are a tight-knit family. We shouldn’t be killing ourselves
by stealing from one another. We should build one another. If you must lift my
post, ask for my permission first, and if I grant you, take only a paragraph,
and redirect the rest back to me. That way, we both benefit.

The truth is that bloggers and many forum
posters are stealing, and they steal posts they know would direct traffic
to their sites, and it is bad. Let’s call a spade a spade. We must stop it if we are guilty. Let’s
build others up, not tear them down. If other people outside blogsville are
stealing from us, we are supposed to try to come together, and do something
about it, but what of when bloggers are stealing unashamedly from one another?
Who will help us? Bloggers are complaining about this menace on the increase.
Please, can we suggest different ways to stop it? We have been known to stand
by one another in the past, let’s not stop now. Drop your suggestions in the
comment box, and redirect bloggers to come and read this post. Let’s not fold
our hands, cos anyone of us can fall victim tomorrow.

One last thing please, don’t steal this
post. It is written by me.

Atilola Moronfolu

@ilola

N.B: Once I respond to all the
comments this post generates, I am going back on my blog break

48 comments

I agree with the blogger who called you "blogville police" hahaha. I initially liked the idea of calling things out, but then I read one of the "policing" posts and was a bit turned off by the whole policing thing. I felt you had sort of taken it a bit too far and was almost trying to dictate what people should write and not write.

Having said that, I agree with this post about plagiarism. The thing is most people don't take the Internet too seriously. Many bloggers, at least I, don't really consider what I write "personal intellectual property" or whatever. It's written for fun. So, if someone reblogs my stuff without credit, well, no big deal, provided you don't misconstrue my words. HOwever, I understand why bloggers who may also be authors or who may be thinking about making their site some kind of professional website would feel about plagiarism.

Sister Hatty! So, I'm a thief for not waiting for your reply before blogging about the Nigerian Salon thingy? So sorry dear sis, But, I linked just after the last sentence of the post. I didn't know we are supposed to link many times o.

Thanks anyway, this post has taught me a few thinhs I didn't know about blogging. The only time I feel bad is when people fail to link back to me and I do try to make contact and ask the blogger/s to link back. I feel flattered when bloggers share my contents with their blog readers. I didn't know that reference comes before content o.

Welcome back sis, sorry o. Now that we are not permitted to share this one, do we just write the title and then write a one sentence post referring other bloggers to hattylola.com?

Someone has ACCUSED/Told me to stop plagiarizing her posts and she cited said posts. I was like...woot?!! I didn't even read those posts, much less steal her posts ideas. I was very offended to say the least. I took down the post i wrote about it after she apologized but..... nope! That's not cool. I don't take blogging that seriously were i would have to start stealing other people's post ideas.

People have to realize that we are more similar than different, so i might write about something that someone else also wrote about, that's not plagiarism. Unless i don't know what plagiarism is. If you post someone's work and cite it, that's not plagiarism also because you are not claiming ownership of the work, you are just sharing and hopefully linking back.

I wonder who contacted you about this, i won't be surprised if it's the same chic cos she's on that paranoid level.

I have been a victim to many times to know that people lift blog posts. You might not follow the people whose posts were lifted, or the people who lifted the posts, but trust me, it happens, and happens well.

Though I'm an author, I do not share most writers jealous guarding of their work. Many do not post clips of their work online for this reason, most people know half of my books are on my blog :)

But I understand about IP and if a creative person wants to own their content, it is their choice to make. At the bottom of my blog, in a way that it shows on every page, I state my copyright rules. People can republish my posts in full if they state the writer and link back.

I don't expect every blogger to have the same policy, but, put your copyright notice where it is visible to all.

I agree with Myne. I wouldn't have issues with anyone sharing something I wrote with others, if the person duly acknowledges the source. I have seen posts by people on topics that I wrote about years before, same thought lines, same logic, and I do not in any way thing that it was copied from me. My immediate reaction is usually that of awe at how there is really nothing new under the sun. For instance, there's a compilation I have been working on for years now, on 'lessons that life has taught me' and I was thinking of publishing on my blog, then I visit another blog, and see similar things to what I have been compiling for years! It made me a bit hesitant about publishing because nobody would ever believe it was an original idea. I can go on and on. There is even a post on your blog-can't remember which now, but it was published this year, but I had written about something similar on Facebook, and published it in 2010!

These things are pretty dicey and I agree that some people out-rightly steal from others, but asides the outright thieves, really my girl, there is nothing new under the sun; the only thing new about it may be the way in which it is presented.

It's a matter of individual preferences anyway, and people should respect the choices of others. Okechukwu Ofili for instance, author of, 'How Stupidity saved my Life' has told me that if I want to share any of his articles on my blog, I should freely duplicate, but duly acknowledge. That's an offer I am yet to take up anyway, lol. People differ though.

I've not really caught anyone reproducing any of my posts,but i know i wouldn't appreciate it.If my permission is sought,it'd be a different thing altogether.Truth is,the menace of plagiarism is getting so severe now.Trust me @ilola,you're lucky you're not an entertainment blogger,the situation is far worse with them.

I think this is an interesting post as I've been on both sides of the argument, I've had my posts entirely stolen and I've wanted to republish posts without knowing how.

When I first started blogging, as the novice I was, I never googled my posts. One day I did and found out that not only were some of my posts on another blog, this blog was running a duplicate of my blog. As in... every single post I had was on that blog. And you know how they credited it? With a little link saying source that was in 4 or 5 pt font.

I left a comment on the blog to no reply. I tried who.is but it was masked. So I sent a long email to site host and threatened to take it up with DMCA, 24hrs later the site was gone from the internet.

A couple of times my content has been stolen, it doesn't always end up this drastic but I think I've become a pro at taking my posts down

With what you and Nollywood Reinvented said, I am now weak. This is just criminal. My own problem pales in comparison with yours. The fact that he responded to your threats means he knows what he was doing was criminal. Maybe I'll do the same, but then again, my own case is not as bad as yours

This is serious, this post has really opened my eyes to some things. Though, I used to know the SEO and traffic issues and that is why I always tell every guest blogger on my blog that before they are allowed to post what they've written elsewhere, they must allow the post stay some ample agreed period before doing so. Sometimes ago, I saw a repost of my entire post on someone's else's blog without the person contacting me but the blogger put my byline. However, my consent could still have been sought.

I am one of those who will not appreciate if i see my content copied word for word on another blog or website...esp from my blogs were I actually do some research or brainstorming to come up with my posts.

My aim is usually to add value so if someone comes from no where to copy my entire content word for word I will not be amused…the fact that I can get penalised by google and not rank well is also a concern

Then again I would like to assume that most ( i use the word most lightly) people dont copy maliciously. They probably dont know any better and simple want to share your good work....Before i understood about SEO i also used to copy articles i enjoyed blindly (covers face)

I think Nollywood Reinvented has given a very good suggestion...if you can't reach the blog owner then contact their host provider to ask them to pull down the site due to plagiarism ... Thats the most drastic solution though...i believe these things can be sorted out amicably.

This very topic has been on my mind since I noticed that a blog was posting full entries from other bloggers, albeit with a mention of the original blogger at the bottom.

I disagree 100% with this practice because if we are really a community of bloggers, we should be encouraging our readers to visit other blogs and in that way build up the community. By posting another blogger's entire entry on your blog, you give the reader no incentive to go back to the original blog and discover a new blogger, and it baffles me why one wouldn't want to do this. Is the reposter afraid that the reader will discover a blog they like better than their own? I just don't get it!

Almost worse to me is when people are now commenting on the post and are receiving replies from the blogger who reposted it without the blogger crediting the original author or directing the commenter to the author of the post. That really bothers me.

If you find an entry that you want to share with your readers, the way to do it is precisely as has been suggested: ask for permission to share one or two paragraphs (not the whole entry). I would personally lead off with some words to the effect that the entry is from another blogger. And also: link to the blogger! I've seen some people just write the blogger's name without making it a hyperlink...that's just sloppy—obviously they have the link since they got the entry from somewhere!

There's a fine line between sharing an entry because you like it and want your readers to read it, and "stealing" traffic by cutting out the middle man. Original authors should get the credit for their work and as you said the reposter (especially if they are a bigger blogger than the original author) will be getting the credit for an entry they didn't write and this should feel wrong to everyone involved in my opinion.

I don't have a problem with someone blogging about the same topic I blog about because as long as they write the entry themselves, the post will have the writer's own personality infused into it. It's a direct cut and paste of a full entry with a link to the original blog at the bottom that I find offensive.

You have just re-written my post in another manner. This goes to show that one can pass across the same message with stealing one's post. Lol.

It is really sad when bloggers start exhibiting the pull-me-down syndrome by duplicating contents. You got my sentiments when you said, total duplication doesn't give the readers incentive to go back to the original author's blog.

You are right; it just clicked that another thing that could cost this issue, are bb broadcasts. A lot of times, broadcasts go viral, and the original author is not acknowledged, so you do not know whom to ask permission from to share the content. How do you deal with this? A lot of times, like someone noted, these duplications are not done with malicious intents, and some people do it in outright ignorance. Still, I like this post. It's enlightening.

And yes...entertainment bloggers have it the worst for sure! There's no crime in sharing the same information (after all, news is news) but why can't you put YOUR OWN slant on it? How unimaginative! It just clutters up the internet for no reason.

(I get requests to list so many entertainment blogs on the Nigerian Blog Awards website and it's sad to visit some and see that they have completely copied Linda Ikeji or That 1960 Chick in either look or content or both! We need to be imaginative and creative and add to the conversation (not duplicate what's already out there). We all have something unique to add without copying others!

I list them but I've told one such blogger that their blog would not be eligible to win an Award. And whenever I see a duplicated entry without a reference to the original author I inform the copier and original author.

Good Talk!. It's almost a year since I started blogging and I noticed it too but I asked myself If there were no rules.....but I thank God the issue has been raised and I feel much better.....very educating, Atilola.I would like permission to be sought before lifting a blogger's "sweat". Blogging is not a wasted effort that should be stolen....Time, Brainwork, Money and so on. The Blogger should be informed and rewarded with links etc.Thanks for sharing!

This is a bold step you have taken to stop this 'thief-thief' of a thing. Though I haven't experienced this, I can identify with the pain such could cause to the original writer. Seems I will have to heed Myne's comment about including one's copyright rules on one's blog.

Maybe that's why I install 'viruses' in my posts... lol What I did was make my style so Unique...I had an immediate boss who used to 'claim ownership' of my technical reports, until the MD told me one day that he knows exactly how I write...does it stop theft? perhaps not, but so far it's worked for me to a large extent..and as for traffic, it is Dot Coms like you who would be bothered more *Sardonic Laugh*

I am just seeing this post. Personally I think one should just do a link to the persons blog post so people know whose work it is, cuz I think copying a post, especially a story, whether part or whole without due authorization is just plain wrong. Anyway, you can try out http://creativecommons.org/licenses//, it may not keep the thieves away but it certainly gives you some legal stance. Before I put my very first story on blogger, I was so paranoid. From day one, I wrote some long legal gibberish about the work being mine and that of all my aliases. At the moment I use http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/, the good thing about it is that the users of your post are legally bound to attribute your post in a way that you choose.